Isaiah 7:16

Isaiah 7:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.
• New International Version (NIV)for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by both her kings.

Context of Isaiah 7:16

14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Listen carefully, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call his name Immanuel (God with us). 15He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to refuse evil and choose good. For before the child will know enough to refuse evil and choose good, the land (Canaan) whose two kings you dread will be deserted [both Ephraim and Aram]. 17The Lord will bring on you, on your people, and on your father’s house such days as have not come since the day that Ephraim (the ten northern tribes) separated from Judah—[He will call for] the king of Assyria.” 18In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the mouth of the rivers and canals of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

Isaiah 7:16 word by word

כִּ֠י בְּטֶ֨רֶם יֵדַ֥ע הַנַּ֛עַר מָאֹ֥ס בָּרָ֖ע וּבָחֹ֣ר בַּטּ֑וֹב תֵּעָזֵ֤ב הָאֲדָמָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַתָּ֣ה קָ֔ץ מִפְּנֵ֖י שְׁנֵ֥י מְלָכֶֽיהָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For before the childנַ֫עַרna‛ar · youthH5288
• shall knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• to refuseמָאַסmâ'as · to rejectH3988
• the evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• and chooseבָּחַרbâchar · to chooseH977
• the goodטוֹבţôb · goodH2896
• the landאֲדָמָה'ădâmâh · land: soilH127
• that thou abhorrestקוּץqûts · to loatheH6973
• shall beפָּנֶהpânîym · face ofH6440
• forsakenעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
• of bothשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• her kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428

Cross-references for Isaiah 7:16

• Deuteronomy 1:39Moreover, your little ones whom you said would become prey, and your sons, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, shall enter Canaan, and I will give it to them and they shall possess it.
• Jonah 4:11Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 [innocent] persons, who do not know the difference between their right and left hand [and are not yet accountable for sin], as well as many [blameless] animals?”
• Isaiah 8:4for before the boy knows how to say, ‘My father’ or ‘My mother,’ the riches of Damascus (Aram’s capital) and the spoil of Samaria (Israel’s capital) will be carried away by the king of Assyria.”
• Isaiah 9:11Therefore the Lord raises against Ephraim adversaries from Rezin [king of Aram] And spurs their enemies on,
• Isaiah 17:1The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Damascus [capital of Aram (Syria), and Israel’s defense against Assyria]. “Listen carefully, Damascus will cease to be a city And will become a fallen ruin.
• 2 Kings 15:29In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and took Ijon, Abel-beth-maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of [the tribe of] Naphtali, and he carried the people captive to Assyria.
• 2 Kings 16:9So the king of Assyria listened to him; and he went up against Damascus and captured it, and carried its people away into exile to Kir, and put Rezin [king of Aram] to death.

Commentaries on Isaiah 7:16

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16The land that thou abhorrest - The land concerning which thou art so much “alarmed or distressed;” that is, the united land of Syria and Ephraim. It is mentioned here as the land,‘ or as one land, because they were united then in a firm alliance, so as to constitute, in fact, or for the purposes of invasion and conquest, one people or nation. The phrase, which thou abhorrest,‘ means properly, which thou loathest, the primary idea of the word - קוץ qûts…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-16Verses 10-16 Secret disaffection to God is often disguised with the colour of respect to him; and those who are resolved that they will not trust God, yet pretend they will not tempt him. The prophet reproved Ahaz and his court, for the little value they had for Divine revelation. Nothing is more grievous to God than distrust, but the unbelief of man shall not make the promise of God of no effect; the Lord himself shall give a sign. How great soever your…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15-16By the time He knows enough: The crisis with the alliance of Syria and Israel against Judah occurred in 734 BC. By 732 BC, Damascus, the capital of Syria, was destroyed. Israel, the northern kingdom, was also defeated. to reject evil and choose good: This was to happen by age 12, when a child was considered an adult. In 722 BC, Israel went into exile. He will be eating curds and honey: The land would lose so many people that food would become easy to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1616. For--The deliverance implied in the name "Immanuel," and the cessation of distress as to food (Is 7:14, 15), shall last only till the child grows to know good and evil; for ... the land that ... abhorrest ... forsaken of ... kings--rather, desolate shall be the land, before whose two kings thou art alarmed [Hengstenberg and Gesenius]. the land--namely, Syria and Samaria regarded as one (2Ki 16:9; 15:30), just two years after this prophecy, as it…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 7:16

• Ahaz
• Isaiah
• Jesus Continued
• Pekah
• Syria

In the dictionaries

• Ahaz
• Confederate
• Fainthearted
• Hoshea
• Pekah
• Abhor
• Alliance
• Choose; Chosen
• Commentaries
• Damascus

Commentaries on Isaiah 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings